


A Creak Of Light

by Choccyghost



Series: Haikyuu One-Shots [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Depression, Drifting Apart, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Hinata Shouyou is Sunshine, Hinata is underrated as a friend, I want to hug Kenma, Kenma is precious, Kozume Kenma - Freeform, M/M, Nekoma, friends to strangers, hinata is an adorable idiot, hinata shouyou - Freeform, kenhina - Freeform, kenma is tired
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-18 03:20:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29111457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Choccyghost/pseuds/Choccyghost
Summary: Kenma watches the rain, his mind as clouded as the sky. Will the storm continue or will the clouds finally part?
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou & Kozume Kenma, Hinata Shouyou/Kozume Kenma, Kozume Kenma & Kuroo Tetsurou
Series: Haikyuu One-Shots [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2109084
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	A Creak Of Light

Kenma sighed, loosening his hold on the console. He stared at the "GAME OVER" flashing on the screen for a moment before setting the console aside. It was no good. He rubbed his sore eyes, trying to relieve them. How long had he been at it? He glanced at the clock, showing "17:30". He had been playing for 6 hours straight again- which meant he had missed lunch. Kenma wasn't bothered by it. This was a frequent occurrence now; and he wasn't really hungry. He walked towards the window, pulling the curtains aside. The pane was misty, with raindrops slowly trickling down. He listened to the soft pitter-patter as he traced his finger on the glass along a particular droplet till it dropped. He glanced up, checking the glistening roofs, the trees swaying gently with the wind ,the wet roads... The rain had a way of comforting him and making him weirdly sad at the same time. His eyes finally paused on the house opposite to his. Kuroo's house. The yellow light from his room glowed faintly against the rain, which told Kenma he was buried in his books again. Weird, isn't it, how someone could be so close and yet so far out of reach? He watched as a pigeon settled itself under Kuroo's window-shade, pecking its wing as a memory from a year back flashed in his mind.

**1 Year Ago**

Kenma furiously pressed various buttons in quick succession, down to his last life. "Yes..yes!" He muttered to himself, as the energy bar of the enemy reduced drastically. Just one more hit....he continued dodging, waiting for the best opening. His player jumped in euphoria, raising the sword as the enemy turned too late- and the screen vanished as Kenma found his hands empty. "Huh?" Kenma turned wildly, to see Kuroo holding the game behind him. 

"KUROO! GIVE THAT BACK! I'LL KILL YOU!" Kenma lunged at him, jumping and clawing at Kuroo's hand as he held the game high out of his reach. It wasn't during volleyball but at moments like this that Kenma was brutally struck by the height difference between them. 

"No." Kuroo said, giving his classic one sided smirk. "Maybe try doing that after growing a bit." He added skeptically, watching Kenma 's futile attempts to snatch the game back.

"Kuroo, I swear to god-" 

"Besides," Kuroo turned the game in his hand, ignoring Kenma's curses. "See?" Kenma paused, his eyes wild as he saw his player lay dead on the screen around a pool of blood. 

Kenma let go of Kuroo, clutching his own hair tightly. "Close... so close." 

"Sorry," Kuroo said in a sing-song voice, obviously not sorry in the slightest. 

"I'll murder you," Kenma mumbled between the hands on his face. 

"I love you too," Kuroo replied, picking up a ball and swirling it on his hand. "Besides this is your fault."

"What do you even mean?" Kenma moaned, still reeling from his loss. "You don't understand, I have been at this game for hours. HOURS!"

"Exactly." Kuroo said, tossing the ball on his head. "I warned you Kenma, I'll snatch that away if you skipped your meals."

"Ow!" Kenma rubbed the back of his head, staring incredulously at him. "Are you for real? Kuroo- I already have a mom."

"Ha ha very funny," Kuroo replied sarcastically. "Anyway joke's on you, since she entrusted me to make you eat when she's not around. And putting it in her own words "Even if you have to smack his head with a volleyball". " Kuroo finished, grinning at Kenma. 

"That's a shitty impression of her," Kenma said, sinking into his couch. "And I'm not really hungry."

"That sucks." Kuroo gave a dramatic pause before adding, "I thought you loved this game."

"Huh?" Kenma looked at him, horrified. "You wouldn't dare..."

"You aren't getting this back till you eat," Kuroo said, waving the game in his hand as he stepped out of Kenma's room. "And I won't hesitate to take it again from you either!"

Kenma groaned, cursing Kuroo under his breath before following him out. "Fine, fine I'll eat. But you are going to pay for that."

**Back To Present**

A faint smile appeared on his lips as he turned away from the window, remembering how pissed he had been. Never did he think that he'd come to miss it. He sat at the corner of his bed, hugging the pillow close to his chest. He remembered meeting Kuroo when they were small, their mothers introducing them to each other. He remembered thinking how skeptic he was of the idea, as they had absolutely nothing in common. He remembered Kuroo flipping through his comic books as Kenma played his game for hours since their parents badly wanted them to spend time together. He remembered how Kuroo had been as quiet as him then; and how had suggested volleyball when Kenma had asked if he had anything else to do in mind. All that seemed ages ago. Since then, Kuroo had made his life better countless of times. Kenma had never been good at making friends. He could only wonder at what the phrase "fitting in" meant or if he'll ever have it. But Kuroo- who was the last person Kenma had expected to be friends with- had always been with him, made him feel less alone . Kuroo had always popped up, no matter where- at the cafeteria in school, ditching his classmates to accompany Kenma sitting alone at a table - sneaking in into his house at night, getting him to sleep- walking to school along with him on days Kenma didn't even have the energy to get up....

"Kuroo- why do you bother?" He remembered asking one day when Kuroo had stayed behind after practice to help a tired Kenma relax and catch his breath again. 

"What do you mean?" Kuroo had asked, handing him some water. 

"Why do you even bother? Look at me, I suck." Kenma had blurted out, head down with shame after finishing Kuroo's bottle. "I'm always so tired and inexpressive. It's always you making more efforts and me pulling you down. There are so many other people who'd be a better friend. Why?"

"Because you are my best friend, Kenma." Kuroo had said, with a reassuring smile. "There's absolutely no one who can replace you. You are worth so much more than you think." 

He had said what Kenma had wanted him to say. And he had believed it. Kenma had etched the words into his memory, reminding himself about them whenever he felt bad about himself. And the first year at Nekoma had passed by better than he had expected it to. After heavy persuasion, Kenma had joined the volleyball club mainly for Kuroo. He didn't make much friends in his own class; but Kuroo hung out with him during breaks and he went from hating Yamamoto to calling him a "friend", though they could never hang with each other for a long time as Yamamoto would get too impatient. And then, everything began to fall apart. 

It happened so slowly, Kenma couldn't pinpoint a moment and say "This is where it started." After Kenma's first year, Kuroo had been entrusted as the captain of the team and Kenma couldn't have been happier for him. Kuroo was really good at the job, both at playing and inspiring other teammates. He slowly became popular in school and often found himself surrounded with people wanting to hang with him. At first, Kenma didn't mind at all. This was only natural, right? One day, Kenma found Kuroo distracted, barely touching his food. Kenma noticed his eyes darting towards another table now and then. 

"Kuroo. You know I won't mind if you eat with someone else for a change, right?" Kenma had asked.

"Huh? No! It's fine, what were you talking about?" Kuroo had replied, his eyes slightly guilty. 

"Kuroo it's fine. Seriously."

"If you are sure," Kuroo said, hesitatingly. "Fine. But I promise it's just for today."

"Just go," Kenma had said, giving a friendly shove.

Kuroo had given a final apologetic wave before heading over. And eventually, it became a frequent occurrence. Kenma would ask him not to worry, and he'd leave, not noticing the way Kenma's expression changed immediately after his back was turned. Kenma had convinced himself he was being silly, that there was nothing to worry about. And then, Kenma watched his second year go by slowly, getting worse every day. Kuroo became busy, buried under the responsibility of being a powerhouse team's captain and the difficulty of the third-year studies. Now Kuroo and Kenma barely exchanged nods, while sitting across different tables. He began cancelling gaming plans with Kenma too, as he started hanging out more with the other third years. Whenever Kenma had considered going over, he'd peep through his window, noticing Kuroo either laughing on a call with someone or being busy with "study sessions". At first, Kenma had been confused because he knew Kuroo preferred studying alone. But the more he watched, the more he realized they weren't studying at all; Kuroo and his friends would spend most of the time chilling and playing some game. Kenma had realized with a sinking heart that the study sessions were a façade, something Kuroo had told him to make him feel less bad . Indeed, Kenma couldn't remember the last time Kuroo had come to hang or when there wasn't a weird awkward silence between them. The only times they'd spend with each other was during volleyball or leaving and going back home, and that stopped too when Kuroo started taking a late train due to extra classes. 

"This still hurts," thought Kenma, watching the rain become heavier and the sky darker. He knew he should switch on the light to his room or something; but he felt too tired to do it. He wished they had had a major fight or disagreement unlike this slow torture. That'd have been better than the person he trusted the most in the world showing him how replaceable he was. He slumped down on the bed, his face buried on the pillow as he recalled another conversation, which had put the final nail on the coffin. 

It was during a particularly boring period and Kenma had excused himself to the bathroom. He took his time and was about to exit the stall when-

"Ah we have a practice match against Karasuno next week, remember? I wonder how they'll be playing."

Kenma's hand froze on the doorknob as he recognized Kuroo's voice. 

"Oh I do. Fallen crows, aren't they? I wonder if things will be different this time." Yaku, friend and teammate of Kuroo replied. "By the way..." There was silence as Yaku hesitated. 

"What?" 

"Anything up with Kenma lately? He has been down and unmotivated more than before on court." 

Kenma felt his heart pound heavily against his chest. He didn't want to know what Kuroo would reply to that. But his legs felt frozen to the floor as he found himself unable to open the stupid doorknob. 

"Ah," Kuroo paused. "I don't really know. We don't really hang like we used to." 

"Did you guys fight?" Yaku's curious voice sounded across the stalls and Kenma knew he had been pondering on the topic for a while. Kenma suddenly wondered if the team had been talking behind his back about him. Were there any rumors? There wouldn't be.... Kuroo wouldn't do that to him....

"Nah." Kuroo zipped his pants back up. "How do I explain this? To put it bluntly, I felt bored and frustrated with him after a while." 

The loud pounding in Kenma's heart came to a screeching halt. He leaned against the wall quietly. 

"Come on, I know he isn't that bad." Yaku shut the door to his stall. 

"I wouldn't say _bad_ either." Kuroo paused again, trying to find the exact words. "It's just- it's way too much effort with him. He finds it difficult to talk about his troubles and shit, you know. I'd always have to do the guessing and try to help, along with trying to make him eat and other stuff. And I know he tried to reciprocate the friendship in his own way," Kuroo sighed. " But when I started hanging with other people more, I couldn't help but notice how much _easier_ it was with them. I felt guilty at first, but then I started wondering if we became friends just because we were forced to." Kuroo shrugged. " But I can check in on him later if you want."

Their voices trailed away as they left back to their classes while Kenma stood still, the silence around him feeling heavier than ever. Had he really burdened Kuroo that much? He let out a slight whimper, letting out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Worthless. Pathetic. Alone. Was that all he really was? Suddenly Kenma couldn't remember how to breathe and the walls seemed to be closing in on him. His head spun as he tried counting to 10 slowly in his head, attempting to calm himself down. After what seemed like an eternity, he left the stall shakily going back to his class mumbling something about a bad stomach. 

Kenma shivered at the memory. As much as he tried to forget it, the scene still played in his head everyday. He got up, feeling the slightly wet pillowcase. Kenma hated it; hated the way everything still affected him. He hated the way he missed Kuroo's stupid smirk and his silly insults. He wiped his nose as he picked up his phone and reread a particular chat for the 100th time. After hearing whatever Kuroo had said on the stall, Kenma had gone out of his way one day, the desperation to have Kuroo back overpowering his anxiety. Overcome by emotions, he had texted Kuroo out of the blue apologizing for being the way he was, and how he missed hanging with him. Kuroo had taken his time, but had replied with "It's okay, Kenma" and a vague apology back. He hadn't told Kenma he was perfect the way he was. He had sent another small text explaining how he was simply hanging less because the third years had a lot of projects and studying to do together, and promising to come over later. He didn't. Kenma held onto a sliver of hope nevertheless, hoping things would go back as they were before. But they hadn't; Kuroo had given him excuse after excuse, and Kenma had finally stopped. 

And before Kenma knew it, he had withdrawn himself back to his shell. The shell Kuroo had pulled him out of. He went back to being the guy always sitting alone. He wished Kuroo would join him for lunch, shooting glares at anyone whispering about him again. He didn't.

He wished Kuroo would see him sitting alone in his room crying and come over, bringing snacks and play with him until he felt better, like he had before. He didn't.

He wished Kuroo would take away his game again, until he ate. He didn't.

He wished Kuroo would be there next to him during his increasing anxiety attacks again, telling him to breathe. He wasn't there. 

_He wasn't there. He never was there anymore._

Kenma scrolled back on the chats feeling the tears making their way down his face. He wished he could pull the old Kuroo out of his phone. He wished he could go back to who he was before, and not someone playing video games 24/7 to distract himself and barely eating. Even his parents seem to have given up on him; he now barely talked to them despite living in the same house. "I'm losing myself," Kenma thought, exiting Kuroo's chat with all his resolve. Kenma screwed his eyes shut, trying to suppress the pain inside him, when the sound of a notification reached his ears. He opened his eyes slowly, glancing at the name of the one person who hadn't stopped texting him when Kenma had stopped being responsive like before. He barely noticed what was in the message as he kept staring at the name, his expression softening slightly in the dark. 

When everything had gone amiss, when Kenma felt stuck in a dark room 24/7, the door had opened slightly letting in a creak of light in the form of a certain tangerine. 

And he was in the past again, feeling alone and lost in a new street, killing time on his phone and feeling more anxious by the second. A gust of wind, sound of footsteps behind him. Bright amber eyes and messy orange hair, life in every word he uttered and every movement, extending his hand. 

" _I'm Hinata Shoyou! And you?"_

Kenma had been on the verge of giving up volleyball since he had joined for Kuroo and they weren't really talking anymore, but ever since coincidentally meeting this guy, Kenma had felt a spark of interest in the game again. And Hinata hadn't disappointed; Kenma had felt alive at their practice game against Karasuno after a long time that day. And to his surprise, Hinata seemed as interested in him as he was. But Kenma hadn't expected it to last, given their extremely contrasting personalities. However Hinata had simply accepted the quiet guy as he was, and filled the silence by talking over himself. And Kenma was even more surprised when he didn't find Hinata annoying in the least. He had hesitatingly agreed to exchange numbers, thinking that Hinata wasn't going to actually remember him anyway. And he was wrong again. Though both of them weren't active texters at all, they did text back and forth, starting from once a week. Kenma found himself looking forward to their practice matches with Karasuno. In fact, even though he was scared to admit it, it was almost the only thing he looked forward to anymore besides the video games. He had hung out with Hinata every chance he got during the training camps they had. He had been a bit scared of Hinata noticing how he sat apart from the team most of the time and asking if he had no friends. But if he had, Hinata didn't let it show; he too, escaped from his team to hang with Kenma after practice hours, playing games with him or getting Kenma to give him extra tosses. 

Kenma realized, surprised, that the tears were dry on his face now and he was smiling to himself in the dark. This has been happening for a while now; he would think of Hinata and automatically smile. Even though it'd help him feel better, he was scared. Scared that he was going to get hurt again. Scared that Hinata didn't like him back as much as he did. Scared that he was just being nice. He, like the other whispers he had heard, felt convinced that Hinata would get bored of him eventually. He had promised that he'd distance himself the moment he felt like Hinata didn't enjoy his presence anymore- but the boy had let out no such vibe.

Kenma shook himself. Who was he kidding? Here he was, sitting by himself in a dark room, crying with no one there beside him. This was just another day, added to the stack of countless other similar days. Hinata lived too far away from him. And even if he were to live close by, and Kenma confided in him, would he still be friends with him? Why would he be? He'd just find Kenma pathetic and back off. After all, the tangerine didn't find it difficult to socialize like he did- he'd simply call Kenma weird and stop being friends with him. _He was alone._

He wished he knew for sure that the voices in his head telling him he meant nothing to Hinata were wrong. He wished the Universe would give him some sort of sign, even though it seemed pathetic to be so alone that you wonder if someone really considers you worthy. And miraculously, as if answering his thoughts and kicking his ass, the door creaked open behind him, the light from the hallway illuminating the gloomy room. He jumped, startled as someone flicked the lights. "Kenma! How many times have I told you not to sit in the dark?" His mother's exasperated voice sounded behind him. "Anyway, freshen up and come down. There's someone to see you." 

"At this hour?" Kenma asked, surprised. He was glad he had his back to the door and his mom couldn't see his red eyes. 

"Yeah," His mother replied. "He's drenched in the rain. Said his name was Hinata Shoyou." 

Huh? Was he dreaming? It seemed too good to be true. Kenma slowly got off the bed, tucking his hair behind his ears. He quickly washed his face, hoping no one would notice his swollen eyes. He headed down the stairs haltingly, wondering if he had imagined the whole thing. But as the voices from the hall filled his ears, he knew there was no mistaking it; Hinata was there. He walked into the living room, seeing Hinata chatting animatedly with his mother. 

"Thanks for the towel, Mrs Kozume! I'm drenched!" Hinata exclaimed, rubbing the towel against his hair. 

"It's nothing, Shoyou. Kenma's friend, you said? I'm surprised he has someone apart from Tetsoru living across."

"Oh no, Mrs Kozume, he's amazing! Ah there he is!" Hinata waved, spotting Kenma on the last step, eyes brightening up. 

"Mom, did you really have to say that to someone you just met?" Kenma asked, looking reproachfully at her. 

"Oh I was just surprised," His mother said, gesturing vaguely. "Why don't you head to Kenma's room? I'll bring up some tea and snacks. Kenma, give him a change of clothes please." 

"Sure. Come on, Shoyou," Kenma said, heading back over the stairs as Hinata followed him. 

Kenma flicked on the lights again, hoping Hinata wouldn't comment on the messed up bed or the disarray the room was in with various game CDs lying in an ugly heap near his table. He turned anxiously to see Hinata's reaction. The boy's jaw had dropped, as he looked at his room in wonder. "Wow your room is so much bigger than mine!"

"Er..is it?" Kenma asked, shutting the door out of habit.

"Yeah! And you have so many cool games! Even the latest one!" Hinata said, almost shouting as he picked up the game Kenma had been playing earlier that day.

"Yeah. We could play later... if you want. Wait, what are you doing here? Not that I'm not happy to see you," Kenma hurriedly added.

"That'd be cool!" Hinata said happily. " I'll tell you everything! But I wish I could change now...."

"Oh right. Sorry," Kenma apologized as he moved to his shelf. He and Hinata almost had the same height, the latter just a few cms shorter than him. He pulled out a t-shirt , a hoodie and comfy pants, handing them to Hinata. He sat on his bed, putting the pillow back, turning it over so that the dry side was up. Hinata stepped out of his bathroom, Kenma's clothes just slightly bigger than him. He gave a small sneeze and immediately wiped his nose. "God, I hope I don't catch a cold. I'd hate to miss out on practice," he said, sitting on the bed beside Kenma. 

"So what were you upto? Did I interrupt anything?" Hinata asked anxiously.

"Oh no you didn't. And I wasn't doing much... just playing," Kenma explained vaguely. _Crying_ Kenma's head concluded.

"Oh. Fine then!" Hinata's face changed to relief. "I'll tell you how I ended up here! So Tsukishima texts me in the evening, telling me coach told him to tell everyone that we had our training camp preponed, and had to leave immediately. Apparently the bus couldn't be there on a short notice and we had to take the train. And I reach the station quickly, finding no one there, and then I take the next train to get here asap. I called in between ride to coach to tell him that I'll be there soon and he asks me confused where I'm going! Turns out that bastard Tsukishima was playing a prank, and he didn't think I'd actually head over to Tokyo!" Hinata fumed. "Though the good side is that coach is going to make Tsukishima book my train back and also refund the money I had spent on a last minute ticket."

"Wow.. that's quite a story," Kenma said, stunned. "Didn't you call others to re-check?"

Hinata's face turned slightly red. "I was too excited. I mean training camp getting preponed? It's like Christmas coming early! I knew it was too good to be true," Hinata muttered with a pout. "But hey!" Hinata's expression immediately changed into a smile as he looked at Kenma. "At least I got to spend time with you! Thank god you had texted me your address that day! I didn't have money for another train ticket and barely had enough for cab, and had to run halfway here."

"Yeah, there's that," Kenma said, smiling slightly. It may have been a prank, but he was happy to see Hinata there. He could only marvel at the way things had turned out. 

Soon, his mom brought in the tea and snacks, and he listened as Hinata cursed Tsukishima and told him how he got lost in the streets 2-3 times before finally reaching Kenma's house. 

Kenma suddenly recalled the text notification he had received from Hinata earlier. "Oh shit. You had messaged me earlier right? I'm so sorry, I was a bit busy," Kenma said. _Good job, liar._

"Oh did I?" Hinata looked puzzled. "Oh yeah I did. But it was about if you wanted something as I was going to come here anyway. As for your house, I wanted to find it myself."

"You were out, drenched in the rain because of a prank and you were thinking if I wanted anything?" Kenma asked, horrified. "You really are an idiot."

"Hey!" Hinata exclaimed indignantly. 

"But," Kenma smiled again. "It means a lot. Thanks."

Hinata looked at him , surprised. "But I didn't get you anything. Next time I will!"

Kenma said nothing, his affection for Hinata doubling inside him. He had been alone for so long, he had forgotten what it meant to be remembered by someone. He wanted to spend more time with him. "Hey Shoyou."

"Yeah?"

"Today's friday, right? Why don't you spend the weekend here and head back on Sunday night?" Kenma asked. 

"Oh I don't know..." Hinata stared at the ceiling, considering it.

"Of course I'll understand if you don't want to," Kenma said, panicking. God what had he been thinking? Who would want to spend 2 days cooped up with him? What had come over him?

"No it's not that. I just don't want to trouble you," Hinata said, slightly embarrassed. "My mom keeps telling me I'm a handful. But if it's okay with you and your family, I won't mind staying over the weekend I guess!"

"It isn't trouble at all," Kenma said, relieved. He knew Hinata wasn't lying as the guy always straight out let what he was feeling, or would stutter madly when he didn't want to say something. Maybe this weekend won't be bad after all......

"So how was school today?" Hinata asked, munching on a biscuit.

"Oh. I sort of didn't go. Had a headache," Kenma said. _Liar again._

"Ooh I hope you are better now," Hinata exclaimed. "You do look tired." Hinata noticed the redness in Kenma's eyes; had he been crying? 

"I do? Probably just need sleep. Come on, I'll show you how to play this one," Kenma said, hurriedly changing the topic. It wasn't a complete lie; he had been sleeping less after all. However Hinata didn't prod more on the topic and the rest of the night passed with Kenma resuming the game; except he wasn't alone this time. He found himself actually enjoying it instead of feeling the pressure of distracting himself after a long time. After dinner, Kenma lent Hinata his smartphone, teaching him how to use it. He couldn't help smiling at the childish wonder and awe in Hinata's eyes as he explained the various features of the phone. Hinata finally settled on youtube, watching one video after another, so engrossed that he didn't notice Kenma grow silent next to him. It was when he was in between an international volleyball clip that he felt a slight thump on his shoulder. He jumped slightly, coming back to reality. He realized that Kenma had been asleep for a while now, his head now resting on his shoulder. He closed the app, putting the phone softly on the bedside table and turned to look at the lean guy next to him, careful not to wake him. 

Hinata cursed in his mind; the switch was too far from where he was sitting. Just then, Kenma's mom opened the door, opening her mouth to tell Hinata the guest room was ready when Hinata quickly raised a finger to his lips, and pointed at Kenma. Mrs Kozume gave a soft smile, and switched off the lights, shutting the door behind her. She'd have asked Hinata to change rooms in any other situation as it wouldn't be polite to ask him to share when they had a guest room- but Kenma was finally sleeping peacefully after a long time. Relief filled her heart, and made a mental note to thank the boy later. 

Hinata carefully pulled up the blankets Mrs Kozume had piled on them before leaving and gave a long hard look at the sleeping Kenma next to him. Kenma's bed was positioned in such a way that the light from the window fell directly on it. The moonlight now illuminated his face and Hinata felt a slight pang in his chest . Even when sleeping, it was obvious how tired the second year setter was by the huge bags covering his eyes. Hinata was struck hard as the light showed him the way Kenma's cheeks were hollowed in. "What happened, Kenma?" Hinata whispered softly, his hand reaching out behind Kenma's back and hesitating above his head. Kenma moved slightly, unconsciously shifting closer to Hinata, his mouth slightly open. Encouraged, Hinata slowly threaded through the other's dyed hair with his fingers.

Truth to be told, he had known something was different about the setter for a while now. He had stopped responding to texts as often as before, and though Hinata had asked him once or twice, the other had brushed it off citing some excuse. Hinata had been left in the dark, having no way to know what was wrong since they lived so far away. Finally, after talking to Lev during a recent training camp, he had tried asking indirectly about Kenma. Lev had admitted he had no idea, except that there were rumors of some sort of falling apart between Kuroo and Kenma. He kept catching a shut off sad look in Kenma's face when his eyes landed on the nekoma captain's face or when he thought no one was looking during the training camps or the practice matches they had together. And it was confirmed by the way Kenma quickly switched topics today whenever Kuroo's name came up. Hinata had been torn between giving the setter space and waiting for the fight to be resolved or reaching out. But as Kenma had grown more and more withdrawn, he badly wanted to check on him and he silently thanked Tsukishima for his idiotic prank. He decided he was going to convince Kenma that he was going to stay. He'd find some excuse, visit Tokyo more often apart from just training, and call more... it wasn't going to be easy, but Hinata was a tough fighter. With that in mind, he too gradually fell asleep after directing a string of curses telepathically to Nekoma's stupid captain. 

Kenma's eyelids fluttered open as the sun-rays reached in through the window. Damn, he had forgotten to close the curtains again. He lay there, frowning at the window when he slowly became aware of gentle snores filling the room. He slowly tilted his head; Hinata was sprawled across his bed, one hand and leg entangled with Kenma's, drooling on the pillow. Kenma jumped up, his cheeks reddening , before recalling the previous night. He slowly disentangled himself from Hinata's grasp and was about to get off the bed when Hinata made a grab for his hand. Kenma froze, wondering if he had woken him up. But Hinata still seemed fast asleep as he clutched onto Kenma's hand, a slight frown creasing his forehead.

"Need Kenma. Stay...toss..." Hinata muttered into the pillow, as Kenma relaxed his hand. 

"Alrighty then," He sat back on the bed, his mouth curving into a smile. "Are my tosses good in your dream?"

"Mmhmm," Hinata's frown vanished and his snores filled the room again. 

Kenma brushed the hair-strands away from Hinata's eyes with his other hand, and found himself adoring the cute mess the first year was while sleeping. He found himself awake with a light heart instead of the dread of having to face another day after a long time. Kenma was uncertain of many things in his life, but he was sure of one thing at the moment; Hinata was the one who had opened the door to the room Kenma was trapped in, just as the darkness was threatening to engulf him whole. And he was sure Hinata didn't know it, but he had smiled more the previous night than he had in the whole month. Maybe, he could still let himself hope as long as Hinata was around. 

"Guess I'm hanging in there because of you," Kenma whispered, watching Hinata's back rise and fall with every breath. _My creak of light._ He sighed, feeling content as he looked out of the window. The clouds had parted and the birds were making a racket . And after a long time, Kenma looked at the rising sun with a hint of smile. 

**Author's Note:**

> Soo got the idea for this fic when I was feeling quite alone myself xD.  
> Hope it wasn't a drag and you guys enjoyed reading <3


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